Lead-in wire orienting apparatus



p 27, 1966 s. c. SHAPPELL 3,275,119

LEAD-IN WIRE ORIENTING APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1STANLEY C. SHAPPELL INVENTOR.

ATTORNE p 7. 1966 s. c. SHAPPELL LEAD-IN WIRE OHIENTING APPARATUS 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 28, 1963 STANLEY C. SHAPPELL INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Sept. 27, 1966 s. c. SHAPPELL 3,275,119

LEAD-IN WIRE ORIENTING APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5MGINIIIHIHMIM" INVENTOR.

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ATTORN Y p 7, 1966 s. c. SHAPPELL LEAD-IN WIRE ORIENTING APPARATUS 5Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 28, 1963 f s \%w TANLEY c SHAPPELL INVENTOR QATTORNE Se t. 27, 1966 s. c. SHAPPELL 3,275,119

LEAD-IN WIRE ORIENTING APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1963 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5STANLEY C. SHAPPELL INVENTOR.

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ATTORN Y United States Patent C) 3,275,119 LEAD-IN WIRE ORIENTINGAPPARATUS Stanley C. Shappell, West Boxford, Mass., assignor to SylvaniaElectric Products Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 28, 1963,Ser. No. 291,335 2 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) This invention relates to themanufacture of electric lamps having lead-in wires extending from an endthereof,

. and more particularly to electric lamps having substantially tubularenvelopes, such as fluorescent lamps for example.

One of the problems involved in the manufacture of electric lamps is themanipulation of the lead-in wires thereof to insure their properdisposition during various lamp manufacturing operations. For example,during the sealing operation in which a lamp mount including the lead-inwires is sealed to the end of a lamp envelope, the lead-in wires areusually maintained quite close to the exhaust tube and the lead-in wiresare protected from the heat of the sealing-in operation. Thereafter, thelamp envelope is exhausted and, in some cases, provided with a gasfilling. Upon completion of the exhaust operation, the exhaust tube issealed or tipped off, usually within the re-entrant stem of the lampmount. In order that this operation may be performed satisfactorily, itis necessary that the lead-in wires be spread apart a substantialdistance from the exhaust tube in order to permit the aforesaidtipping-off operation.

In some cases, such as in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps forexample, one of the steps in the lamp exhaust sequence is cathodebreakdown, i.e., an electric current ispassed through the lead-in wiresin order to heat the lamp electrode which is mounted on the lead-inwires inside the lamp envelope. In order to insure the properperformance of this operation, the lead-in wires which were disposedalong and in close proximity to the exhaust tube during the sealing-inoperation, must be spread apart sufficiently to insure proper wipingcontact with electrical contact members connected to a source ofelectrical energy and disposed along the path traversed by the lampduring the lamp exhaust operation.

Subsequent to the lamp exhaust operation, the lamps are tipped off andthen based, i.e., they are provided with a cap or base having one ormore electrical contact members to which the lamp lead-in wires areconnected. Thus, in order to insure the proper operation of a lampbasing apparatus, it is necessary that the lamp lead-in wires beoriented in a particular location. More particularly, it is necessarythat the lead-in wires be aligned with the electrical contact members ofthe base so that they can be connected thereto.

Over the years a number of different lead-in wire orienting devices havebeen designed and used. Within limits, these lead-in wire orientingdevices have effectively performed the operations for which they weredesigned. In

some circumstances, the lead-in wires are so disoriented initially thatthe lead-in wire orienting apparatus cannot perform its operationeffectively. The primary purpose of this invention is to provide anapparatus for automatically effecting an initial or preliminary lead-inwire orientation in order to insure the satisfactory operation of themain lead-in wire orienting'apparatus which positions the lead-in wiresfor the basing operation.

In accordance with the principles of this invention, means are providedfor automatically rotating each lamp about and on its own longitudinalaxis so that at least one of the lead-in wires will always be located ina predetermined position just before the lamp moves into position forthe main or primary lead-in wire orienting operation associated with thelamp basing operation. Since the ice lead-in wires are usually locatedabout apart during the lamp exhaust operation, the apparatus of thisinvention, in effect, accomplishes the orientation of both leadin wiresby the operation performed on one of them only. In the specificembodiment of the apparatus of this invention illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described below, the lead-in wire orientingapparatus is located at a work station along the path traversed byelongated tubular lamps disposed horizontally and supported by heads orcradles mounted in spaced relationship on an endless chain conveyor ofthe indexing type. The apparatus of this invention includes means forrotating a lamp at this work station, means for sensing or detecting alead-in wire extending from the lamp and means for terminating lamprotation after lead-in wire detection whereby the lead-in wires arecaused to assume a uniform disposition in a predetermined referenceplane.

In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 is a plan view of a specificembodiment of the apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIGURES 4A, B, C and D are schematic details illustrating the lead-inwire orienting sequence.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational detail looking in the direction 55 of FIGURE1.

F IGURE 6 is a framentary detail in section, taken along the line 66 ofFIG. 2, illustrating the manner in which a lamp lead-in wire deflectsthe feeler finger of a norm-ally closed electrical circuit to terminatelamp rotation.

FIGURE 7 is a schematic wiring diagram of the electrical circuitassociated with the lead-in wire orienting apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly FIG. 1 thereof, theapparatus of this invention is organized about a base plate .10 locatedat a work station of a conveyor of the indexing type. A fragmentaryportion of three dilferent lamps is shown in FIG. 1, illustrating theprogression of lamps to the station at which the apparatus of thisinvention is located. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base plate 10 ismounted on a bracket '12 which is in turn fixedly mounted on a suitablestationary member not shown. As is shown best in FIG. 2, a pair of yokes14 and 16 are pivotally mounted in a pair of brackets 18 and 20 mountedon the base plate 10. Each yoke is a weldment consisting of severalmembers to each of which a letter designation has been added tofacilitate identification. For example, the yoke 14 comprises basemember 140, boss 14b, a pair of forwardly extending 'legs 140, a pair ofrearwardly depending legs 14d and a pair of rearwardly extending plates142. The yoke 16 is similiarly constituted and the members thereof aresimilarly identified.

As is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the yoke 14 is pivotally supportedbetween the brackets 18 and 20 through its forwardly extending legs 14c.The yoke 16 is similarly supported, i.e., through its forwardlyextending legs 160. The yokes 14 and 16 which are pivotally supportedbetween the brackets 18 and 20 are connected to one another by a pair ofpins 22 which extend between the rearwardly extending plates 14e and16s. Each pin 22 is provided with a compression spring 24 concentrictherewith and lying between a rearwardly extending plate 14c and arearwardly extending plate 16e. Each pin 22 is fixedly secured to one ofthese yoke plates and extends freely through an aperture providedtherefor in the other corresponding yoke plate. v

The base member 14a of yoke 14 is provided with a boss 14b and the basemember 16a of yoke 16 is provided with a similar boss 16b. A shaft 26 issupported in suitring 33, is mounted on shaft 28. A sprocket 34 ispinned. to the shaft 26 between the boss 14b and the wheel 30.

A similar sprocket 36 is pinned to the shaft 28 between boss 16b and thewheel 32. As is best shown in FIG. 2, the sprockets 34 and 36 areconnected to one another by a chain 38 which also meshes with a sprocket40 mounted on the output-shaft 42 of motor 44 mounted on thebase plate10. Thus the Wheels 30 and 32 are driven continuously by the motor 44. i

As is best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the rearwardly depending legs 14d and16d of yokes 14 and 16. respectively are provided with rollers 46 and 48respectively. Roller 46 rides on the lower face of a slide 50 whereasroller 48 rides on the upper face of the slide 50. The slide 50 extendsbetween the yokes 14 and 16 and is slidably supported intermediateitsends by a pair of slide guides 52 and 54 mountedon the base plate 10.The

slide 50 is reciprocatively disposed in channels cut in the uppersurface of the guides 52 and 54, the guides 52 and 54 being capped byguides plates 56 and 58 respectively. The slide 50 is a spring-loadedmember, being provided w'th a compression spring 60 concentrictherewith. One end of the compressing spring 60 abuts-a spring retainer62 disposed on the slide 50 near the slide guide 52 and the other end ofthe spring 60 abuts a spring stop 64 pinned l to the slide 50.

As is best shown in FIG. 3, the rearward or left hand end of the slide50 has a block 66 secured thereto. A bumper 68 isdisposed on the slidebetween the block 66 and the slide guide 52. The lower face of the block66 is provided with a cutout 67 for receiving in interlocking engagementthe bifurcated end of a link 70.. The other end of the link 70 ispivotally supported in a pivot block 72 secured to bracket 74 whichdepends from base plate 10.. The link 70 is provided with a protuberance71 located intermediate the ends thereof.' The protuberance 71 isaligned with and is disposed in operative relationship with respect tothe plunger 76 of a solenoid 78 which is supported by and depends fromthe base plate 10. a

The forward end of the slide 50 is provided with an insulator block 80mounted thereon. As shown particularly in FIG. 6, an upper electricalcontact 82 and a lower elec trical contact 84 are mounted on theinsulator block 80. A feeler finger 86 is fitted in and supported by theinsulator block 80 and extends through a slot 8-7 out in a finger holderpin 88. The feeler finger 86 normally bridges the electricalcontacts 82and 84, but during operation it is deflected by a lamp lead-in wire sothat it no longer bridges the electrical contacts 82 and 84. Theelectrical contacts 82 and 84 are connected by tension springs 90 and 92respectively to terminals 94 and 96, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 1and.3 for example,.the terminals 94 and 96 are supported in an insulator98 attached to a bracket 100 mounted on the base plate 10. Wires 102 and104 connect the terminals 94 and 96, respectively, through a suitablerelay to the solenoid 78.

The sequence of operation ofthe lead-in wire orienting apparatusis-illustrated schematically in FIG. 4A, B, C and D. In the .schematicillustration of FIG.'4A, lamp 1 is located at a station immediatelypreceeding the lead-in wire orienting station, lamp 3 is located at thelead-in wire orienting station and lamp 5 islocated at a stationimmediately following the lead-in wire orienting station.

It will benoted that the lead-in Wires 2 of lamp 1 and the lead-in wires4 of lamp 3 are located in different random planes whereas the lead-inwires 6 of lamp 5 are located in the horizontal plane. I

Immediately after a lamp, such as lamp 3 for example, has moved into thelead-in wire orienting station as shown in FIG. 4A, the wheels 30 and 32are displaced to move them into frictional engagement with the lamp 3 asshown in FIG. 4B. Since the wheels 30 and 32 are driven continuously,the rotating wheels cause the lamp. 3 to rotate finger 86 as shown inFIG. 6 and thus breaks the electrical circuit through the electricalcontacts 82 and 84 and the finger 86. Breaking of this electricalcircuit across the contacts- 82 and 84 actuates a suitable relay tocause energization 'of' the solenoid 78 as shown in FIG. 3. a

As shown in FIG. 3, when the solenoid 78 is energized. the plunger 76thereof isdisplaced from the solid to the phantom position. Thisdisplacement of the plunger 76 of the solenoid 78 displaces the link 70from the solid to the phantomposition as shown in FIG. 3,'thus effectinga rearward displacement of the slide 50. When'the slide 50 is thusdisplaced rearwardly, the inclined faces 50a thereof pass between the.rollers 46 and 48 on legs 14d and 16d of yokes. 14 and 16 respectively.Since the yokes 14, and 16 are pivotally supported in brackets 18 and20, this camming action is transmitted through the rollers 46 and 48 toefiect a displacement of the wheels 30 and 32 from the solid position inengagement with the-lamp 3 to the phantom position out of engagementwith the lamp 3 as shown in FIG. 3. This terminates the rotation ofthelamp 3.

Referring back now to FIG. 4, it will be appreciated that an interval oftime elapses between the time that they feeler finger 86 is deflected bya lead-in wire 4 sufficiently to break the circuit across the contacts82 .and 84 as shown in FIG- 6 and the point of time at which the. wheels30 and 32 have actually been displaced out of. engagement with the lamp3. During this interval of time, the lead-in wires 4 of lamp 3 aredisplaced from the random plane disposition as shown in FIG. 46 to thedesired horizontal reference plane disposition as shown in FIG. 4D. Withthe lead-in wires 4 of the lamp 3 now oriented in the desired referenceplane, the conveyor carrying the lamps is indexed to advance the lamp 3out of the lead-in wire orienting station and the lamp 1 into thelead-in wire orienting station so that a similar orienting operation maybe effected thereon.

The sequence of operation of the lead-in wire orienting apparatus willnow be described with particular reference to FIGURES 7 and 3. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the lamp 3 is being rotated to efi'ectorientation of the lead-in wires 4 thereof.. As one of the lead-inwires-4 moves. past the feeler finger 86 lying in its path, the finger86 is deflected sufficiently to break the normally closed circuit.across electrical contacts 82 and 84. Asshown in FIG. 7,'breaking of thecircuit across contacts82 and 84 de-energizes coil relay 11 and thuspermits coil relay contacts 11a to close and energize coil relay 13.Energization of coil relay 13 effects a closing of coil relay contacts13a and thus energizes solenoid 78. As shown in FIG. 3, energization ofsolenoid 78 causes displacement of plunger 76 thereof from the solid tothe phantom position and the consequent displacement of 'link 70 fromthe solid to the phantom position. This displacement of the link 70effects retraction of the slide 50. As the slide 50 retracts, the spring60 is compressed and the rollers 46 and 48 are displaced by the inclinedfaces 50a of the slide 50 as it movestherebetween. This displacement ofthe rollers 46 and 48 causes the yokes 14 and 16 to rotate on theirpivots and displace the wheels 30 and 32 from the solid to the phantomposition, i.e., out of engagement with'lamp3.

With the lead-in wires 4 of the lamp 3 now oriented and the wheels 30and.32-out of engagement with the.

meantime, the normally closed cam operated timing switch 15 keeps thewheels 30 and 32 in the up or disengaged position until another lamp is:in position. Then the switch 15 opens, thus breaking the circuit acrosscoil relay contacts 13b. This efiects de-energization of coil relay 13and solenoid 78, thus permitting the solenoid plunger 76 to advance fromthe phantom to the solid position as shown in FIG. 3. This frees thelink 70, and the spring 60 then drives the slide 50 forward. As theslide 50 moves forward, the rollers 46 and 48 ride across the inclinedfaces 50:: from the high to the low side and thus permit the Wheels 30and 32 to drop into engagement with the next lamp.

The circuit across contacts 82 and 84 includes a cam operated timingswitch 17 which is designed to open the circuit across the contacts 82and 84 in cases where, during any given dwell period, there is no lampin the lead-in wire orienting station. Thus the switch 17 opens thecircuit whenever necessary in order to lift the wheels 30 and 32 for thenext lamp.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for effecting orientation, in a pre-determined referenceplane, of the lead-in wires extending from an end of a substantiallytubular lamp envelope and lying in a random plane, said apparatuscomprising:

means for rotating said tubular lamp envelope about its own longitudinalaxis;

a normally closed electrical circuit including a pair of electricalcontacts and a deflectable conductive finger, said finger normallybridging said electrical contacts and lying in the path traversed bysaid lead-in wires during rotation of said lamp envelope, said fingerbeing deflectable out of engagement with one of said electrical contactsby engagement therewith of only one of said lead-in wires whereby saidnormally closed electrical circuit is opened;

and means, controlled by the opening of said normally closed electricalcircuit, for terminating the rotation Of said lamp envelope whereby saidlead-in wires are caused to assume a disposition in a pre-deterrninedreference plane.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said means for rotating saidtubular envelope about its own longitudinal axis comprises a pair ofdriven wheels disposed in register with one another and synchronouslyrotatable into and out of engagement with said tubular lamp envelope.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,614,681 10/1952Keil 198-33 2,683,521 7/1954 Reynolds 198-33 3,004,649 10/ 1961 Waltke198-33 3,074,531 1/ 1963 Pechy 19833 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, PrimaryExaminer.

EDWARD A, SROKA, SAMUEL F. COLEMAN,

Examiners.

1. APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING ORIENTATION, IN A PRE-DETERMINED REFERENCEPLANE, OF THE LEAD-IN WIRES EXTENDING FROM AN END OF A SUBSTANTIALLYTUBULAR LAMP ENVELOPE AND LYING IN A RANDOM PLANE, SAID APPARATUSCOMPRISING: MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID TUBULAR LAMP ENVELOPE ABOUT ITS OWNLONGITUDINAL AXIS; A NORMALLY CLOSED ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INCLUDING A PAIROF ELECTRICAL CONTACTS AND A DEFLECTABLE CONDUCTIVE FINGER, SAID FINGERNORMALLY BRIDGING SAID ELECTRICAL CONTACTS AND LYING IN THE PATHTRAVERSED BY SAID LEAD-IN WIRES DURING ROTATION OF SAID LAMP ENVELOPE,SAID FINGER BEING DEFLECTABLE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF SAIDELECTRICAL CONTACTS BY ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH OF ONLY ONE OF SAID LEAD-INWIRES WHEREBY SAID NORMALLY CLOSED ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IS OPENED; ANDMEANS, CONTROLLED BY THE OPENING OF SAID NORMALLY CLOSED ELECTRICALCIRCUIT, FOR TERMINATING THE ROTATION OF SAID LAMP ENVELOPE WHEREBY SAIDLEAD-IN WIRES ARE CAUSED TO ASSUME A DISPOSITION IN A PRE-DETERMINEDREFERENCE PLANE.